APRIL 1998 1963 CHEVROLET CORVETTE STING RAY

The C2 Corvette Sting Ray had the looks it needed to challenge Jaguar’s E Type. It took until 1965 before Chevrolet offered big-block engines to ‘Vette buyers but they could still tap into plentiful performance by specifying a fuel-injected 5.3-litre. Four-speed transmission plus the ‘fuelie’ engine added more than $600 to the base coupe’s $4267 price and only 2610 of the ’63 version were sold. Scarcity keeps injected Vette values around 50% higher than for the carburetted C2.

SINCE THEN: Corvette collectors love a rarity and the 1963‘ Fue lie’ is certainly that. Exceptional cars have cruised past the US $200,000 mark, with ‘split’ coup es seen as more desirable than Roadsters